Yhteenveto : This FOCUS ON lists the Agriculture and Rural Development Studies and Notes published by Policy Department B during 2012. The main achievement of this body of work has been contributing to the evidence base upon which MEPs have been able to take informed decisions as part of the ongoing negotiations on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Esittäjät : Policy Department B - Structural and Cohesion Policies, DG IPOL, European Parliament

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen

Yhteenveto : In the past decade, the demand for biofuels has steadily increased, at a global level and in the EU. The main biofuels currently on the market are “first-generation biofuels”, i.e. derived from agricultural feedstocks. The most widely used biofuels are by far biodiesel and bioethanol. Biodiesel is produced from vegetable oils (such as rapeseed, sunflower seed and soybean oils) or animal fats. Bioethanol is obtained through the fermentation of sugars into alcohol, using for example sugar beet, maize or wheat. The so-called “second-generation biofuels” (i.e. originating from the processing of ligno-cellulosic feedstock such as straw and forest residues) are not yet well developed.

Esittäjät : Guillaume RAGONNAUD with the support of Filipa AZEVEDO (Policy Department B, DG IPOL, EP)

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen

Yhteenveto : The latest reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is due to be adopted before the end of 2013 and for the first time in its history the European Parliament (EP) has been negotiating the legislative proposals on an equal footing with the Council. Over 7 000 amendments have been tabled by MEPs, reflecting both the complexity of the task and the numerous choices the Parliament will have to make in the coming months. FOCUS ON provides the most recent research on the CAP, published by the EP's Policy Department B - Structural and Cohesion Policies.

Esittäjät : Policy Department B - Structural and Cohesion Policies, European Parliament

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen

Yhteenveto : There is much debate over whether the EU should extend sugar production quotas until 2020 or abandon them, as proposed by the European Commission, and move to a freer market in 2015. This note looks at the constraints on the policy makers and the options for the future of the EU sugar policy.

Esittäjät : Joan NOBLE (Joan Noble Associates Ltd, United Kingdom)

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen

Yhteenveto : The weak number of new entrants into farming in the EU-27 is determined by certain economic and social factors that characterise Union agriculture. The CAP envisages a series of measures to counter this situation, which have been only scantly effective. The new model introduced by the Commission constitutes an insufficient solution to the problem and needs to be redefined if it is to effectively attract new entrants, not only to farming but to any other activity in the countryside. That entails drawing a distinction between agrifood and agri-environmental policies on the one hand and territorial rural policies on the other, to develop a new Rural Policy Framework for the EU.

Esittäjät : Jesús G. REGIDOR and Beatriz Sánchez Reyes (for statistical assistance) (Autonomous University of Madrid)

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen

Yhteenveto : Abolishment of EU sugar quotas will lead to lower sugar and sugar beet prices in the EU, leading to lower margins for farms. At the same time, expansion of sugar beet growing and processing in a quota-free situation can decrease fixed cost per ha of sugar beet and per kg of sugar, making both sugar beet growing and processing more efficient. Besides, lower sugar price levels will make Europe a more attractive continent for investments by sugar-based industries.

Esittäjät : A.B. SMIT and J.F.M. HELMING

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen

Yhteenveto : The US Senate and the House Agricultural Committee have adopted their versions of the next Farm Bill but there is no agreement on a common text. Both proposals reinforce the protection of farmers against adverse conditions. They may result in very large payments for taxpayers in particular years and could lead to WTO challenges. The US decision process is heavily influenced by vested interests, which explains the persistence of costly policies such as the inefficient insurance subsidies. Congress proposals for the next Farm Bill may further distort international markets.

Esittäjät : Mr Jean-Christophe BUREAU - AgroParisTech

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen

Yhteenveto : This briefing note is a guidance document for Members of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament who are part of the delegation to Austria and South Tyrol. The briefing note provides a general overview of the country’s geographical, economic and demographic situation and detailed information on the nature of its agricultural system.

Esittäjät : Francesco Tropea (Policy Department Structural and Cohesion Policies, European Parliament)

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen

Yhteenveto : This study reviews the extent to which the current CAP and related EU policies promote sustainable competitiveness and innovation in agriculture, and assesses the current legislative proposals for CAP reform. It finds that the current policy does not realise its potential and that, although the reform package represents an improvement, particularly in its proposals for Pillar 2, more could usefully be done. Recommendations are made to strengthen the balance of the package and improve proposals for each pillar of the CAP. Key ingredients include better advice, knowledge transfer, more use of locally tailored, strategically planned measure-packages, fuller sustainability-proofing and new incentives for innovation.

Esittäjät : Janet Dwyer, Brian Ilbery and Katarina Kubinakova (CCRI) ; Allan Buckwell, Henrietta Menadue and Kaley Hart (IEEP) ; Karlheinz Knickel (FS-UNEP CC) ; Francesco Mantino (INEA) ; Emil Erjavec (Univeristy of Ljublana)

Valiokunnat : Maatalous ja maaseudun kehittäminen